\n A probe by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has found the vast coastal wetlands on the north Norfolk coast and in the Wash act as “significant” carbon sinks.\n<\/p>\n
\n In response, the conservation charity estimates that 22,000 hectares of saltmarsh should be created urgently, much of which could be made in Norfolk.\n<\/p>\n
\n An egret taking off from Stiffkey saltmarsh (Image: World Wide Fund for Nature)\n<\/p>\n
\n \u00a0WWF researchers believe this should be adopted as government policy, offering a nature-based solution in its bid to reach net zero carbon\u00a0emissions.\n<\/p>\n
\n Tom Brook, ocean conservation specialist at WWF, said: \u201cThe results are in, and mud matters.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Saltmarshes are powerful natural allies in the fight against climate change \u2013 storing carbon, protecting our coasts and supporting rich biodiversity.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cAs extreme weather and rising sea levels put more people and places at risk, the case for protecting and restoring these habitats has never been stronger.\n<\/p>\n
\n Views across the Wash in Snettisham, one of the largest saltmarsh wetlands in the country (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n
\n “Saltmarshes are not just ecologically important but essential to building a resilient, net zero future.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
\n A probe undertaken at a recently created saltmarsh\u00a0in Somerset found 18,000 tonnes of carbon\u00a0over four years – the equivalent to carbon stored by one\u00a0million new trees grown over a 10-year period.\n<\/p>\n
\n This is also the same amount of carbon as taking 32,900 cars off the road for a year.\n<\/p>\n
\n A walker travels across a newly installed bridge at Stiffkey saltmarsh (Image: World Wide Fund for Nature)\n<\/p>\n
\n However, researchers have also warned saltmarshes are under threat in certain parts of north Norfolk, like Stiffkey, due to rising sea levels\u00a0while in other areas, like the Wash,\u00a0 they are expanding.\n<\/p>\n
\n Mr Brook said: \u201cWhile the initial data suggest some Norfolk\u00a0saltmarshes may not be keeping pace with sea level rise.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cThe reasons behind this potential lag aren\u2019t yet fully understood –\u00a0it could be due to reduced sediment supply, changes in tidal dynamics, or a combination of factors.\n<\/p>\n
\n \u201cWhat\u2019s clear from our report is that there\u2019s considerable regional variability: some marshes are accreting (growing taller) faster than others.”\n<\/p>\n
\n Saltmarshes are a vital habitat for birds (Image: World Wide Fund for Nature)\n<\/p>\n
\n WWF says it will continue to monitor the situation over the coming years to better understand the factors affecting the health of saltmarshes in places like Norfolk.\n<\/p>\n
\n The findings come at a critical time for nature sites, with environmentalists warning that planning reforms could leave sites at risk of pollution from developers due to legal protections being rolled back.\n<\/p>\n
\n A drone shot of Stiffkey saltmarshes at high tide (Image: World Wide Fund for Nature)\n<\/p>\n
\n Steff Aquarone, Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk, has called for more to be done to protect saltmarshes.\n<\/p>\n
\n He said: “Saltmarshes are not only a unique habitat for several endangered species -which we\u2019re proud to host in significant numbers here in north Norfolk – they are also a vital carbon sink in our fight against climate change.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Any report highlighting loss of\u00a0UK saltmarshes is extremely concerning.\n<\/p>\n
\n “We are acutely aware of just how vulnerable these ecosystems are, not only to the pressures of expansion and development, but also to the escalating impacts of climate change.”\n<\/p>\n
\n The sun sets over Stiffkey saltmarshes at high tide (Image: World Wide Fund for Nature)\n<\/p>\n
\n Annabel Hill, senior marine project officer at Norfolk Wildlife Trust, added: “Norfolk is home to large areas of saltmarsh, including on our nature reserves at Cley Marshes and Holme Dunes, and is a hugely valuable habitat for wildlife\u00a0and people too.\n<\/p>\n
\n “As well as helping with much-needed carbon storage, protecting our county\u2019s coast from flooding and offering a wild landscape enjoyed by so many, it is home to many wildlife species including rare plants, brent geese and redshank.”
\u00a0
“As our sea levels rise, we are sadly seeing the disappearance of coastal habitats such as saltmarsh, and it is vital that decision-making about the future of our landscape is led by this evidence.\n<\/p>\n
\n “Working together to protect these special habitats is a win-win for nature and addressing the climate crisis.\u2019”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A probe by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has found the vast coastal wetlands on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166067,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3843],"tags":[728,70,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-166066","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-science","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114644405737864751","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}